Muir takes chunk off 800m personal best

Laura Muir smashed her personal best for 800m at the eighth Diamond League of the year in Lausanne, Switzerland,

writes our athletics correspondent.

Dropping down in distance, the Milnathort athlete placed fifth in the world-class field, clocking 1 minute 58.69 – well inside her previous best of 2:00.42.

Muir’s time places her second on the Scottish all-time list behind Lynsey Sharp’s record of 1:57.69.

Muir’s aim is to compete in both the 1,500m and 5,000m at next month’s London World Championships.

Sharp also excelled, finishing seventh in 1:58.80 as Burundi’s Rio Olympic silver medallist Francine Niyonsaba won in 1:56.82.

Kinross athlete Eilidh Doyle was third in the 400m hurdles in 54.36, improving her season’s best from the 54.60 she ran in Lille when winning at the European Team Championships.

Léa Sprunger of Switzerland ( 54.29) shaded the Pitreavie athlete for second, while Ashley Spencer (USA) won with 53.90.

Doyle said: “I am very happy. It was a good race for me. I was calm and focused at the start and gained in confidence as the race progressed.

“I had a very satisfying performance at the UK Trials and I am happy to carry that form to the outdoor circuit.”

Genzebe Dibaba (Ethiopia) ran the fifth-fastest women’s mile of all-time, finishing 60m ahead of the field in 4:16.05.

A 55.1-second final lap saw Muktar Edris set a men’s 5,000m world lead of 12:55.23.

He was pushed all the way by Ethiopian colleague Seleman Barega (12:55.58).

The men’s highlight, however, came as Wayde Van Niekerk (South Africa), in his first 400m since he set the world record when winning the Olympic title last summer, set the fourth fastest mark of alltime, 43.62.

Justin Gatlin (USA) won the 100m in 9.96, with James Dasaolu fifth (10.12).

Lorraine Ugen (GB) finished sixth in the long jump with 6.61m. The event was won by Serbia’s Ivana Spanovic with a distance of 6.79m.

Laura Muir set an 800m PB in Lausanne.